Incubator.



T/G. .MELLI'NGER.

I'NOUBATOR.

APPLICATION FILED IEB.7, 1911.

Patented Aug. 27, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

T. G. MELLINGER.

INGUBATOR.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 7, 1911.

Patented Aug. 27, 1912.

3 SHEETSr-SHEBT 2.

T. G. MELLINGER.

INGUBATOR.

APPLIUATION FILED FEB. 7, 1911.

mm m m Am i m M pfiw (p M fl L o m 8 m a 1 residing in West Hempfieldlthe county of Lancaster and State of Pennrepair; also a detail views, inplan, of modified forms of THEODORE GOSHEN MELLINGER, OF WEST HEMPFIELDTOWNSHIP, LANCASTER COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 MARTINM. HARNISHfi- OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA.

A rucunaroa.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application flied February 7, 1911. Serial No.'607,133.

To all whom it may concern-g Be it known that I, Tnnononn Gosrrnnl\.[ELLINeEn, :citizen, o the United States, township, in

sylvania, have invented a cert in new and useful Incubator, of which thefollowing is a specification.

\ This invention relates to incubators, and

0 it has for its object'to provide a durable,

etiicient, comparatively inexpensive, and san1tary incubator, the partsof which are simple in construction and arrangement,

and which maybe quickly and readily in- .5. spected without liability toloss of heat, or

e entrance of cooling air, and the entire interior of the incubatorrendered accessible for the purpose of cleaning and for the removing ofany removable part thereof for simple and highly efiicient heatingsystem for applying the heat uniformly and evenly, together with means;for supplying the necessary moisture, without liability of overheatingthe eggs, and in further improvements in the construction and arranements of the. parts tending to provide a highly eflicient apparatus ofsuch simple construction as to lessen use, and it consists in the partsand combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed. p

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1. is a perspective view of my improved incubator showing thecover or upper section thereof in a raised or open position; Fig. 2 is adetail vertical section on the line 2-2, Fig.

1, with the cover or upper section in its closed position. Fig. 3 is aperspective view of an incubator embodying my invention in a modifiedform. Fig. at is a detail vertical section through the upper section orcover shown in Fig. 3. Figs. 5, 6, 7, and S are the coils of my heatingsystem.

' Similar letters refer to similar parts throu hout all the views.

'[Re string to the drawings my improvedincubator is shown as rectangularin shape and supported lower SBCtIGILtlIBI'GOf'flS formed by the ylegsA, and the bodg'or out further object is to provide a its liabilityto breakage or to get out of order while in.

and rear walls B, the bottom or flooring G, and referring moreparticularly to Fig. 1, the doors D and'E which form the walls at eachend. .The body or lower section thus formed is divided by a verticalcentral par-' Patented Aug. 27, 1912. .1

tition F into two compartments or chambers,

said partition being composed of reticulated material, secured in asuitable frame,

through w ich the heated air may readily pass from one compartment orchamber to the other. Arranged above and resting on the frame of saidpartition is a wide distributing plate G which extends from front torear wall and is secured. in lace in any preferred or suitable manner.J- t a suitable distance abovethe bottom or flooring C a tray H, also ofreticulated material, is arranged and supported in each of thecompart-ments or chambers of the lower section to form a support for theeggs to be hatched,

said trays being of less width than the width of the chambers or,compartments so that newly hatched chicks may drop thereoff and into thenurseries formed by the space under said trays. As above stated each endof the lower section is closed by two doors, the inner doors, D, beingof glass, and the outer doors, E, of wood or other suitable material.hinged to the bottom or flooring C, and

drop open outwardly, while the doors F;

are hinged to the edge of the bottom or flooring so" as to drop or openoutwardly, and both are made to fit closely between the contiguous facesof the front and rear walls of said lower section, and against jambs Iwhich limit their inward movement. Suitable bolts or catches may beemployed to The doors D are fasten the doors in place while in theirclosed positions.

Arran ed above the trays and extending from side to side and end to endof the lower section so as to cover both the chambers or compartmentsthereof is a frameK filled with any suitable or preferred porous fabricJ, such as muslin, through which the heated air is equally distributedto the compartments or chambers and over the eggs on the trays therein.A bar L is arranged trans verse one of the chambers or compartments andserves as a support for a thermometer, not shown.

The upper section or cover of my incuangles therefrom at one Theadvantage of this arrangement is obvious -the whole system being readilyexposed by simply lifting or tilting'the cover 10 up so that all partsthereof are accessible for cleaning or for repairs; Referringparticularly to Figs. 1 and 2, the heating system consists of a main hotwater tube or pipe P having the branches P extending at right end, boththe main and its branches being-of the same diameter and forming a waterjacket for the hot air or heating pipes, to be described. To thebranchpipes P near their outer or free ends is connected the smallerpipes P which re.- turn or extend inwardly parallel with pipes P towardthe main ipe P, and which is connected to similar pipes P extendinglaterally from opposite sides of the free end of the main pipe P, andwith which they communicate by a series of small pipes or tubes 1. Thefree ends of the pipes P and I? are sealed.

Entering the free end of the "main pipe P and extending t-herethrough isa hot air'pipe or tube R, which is formed or provided with lateralbranches R which extend through the water branches P to the atmosphere.The end of the main pipe P is fitted in an opening in the front wall ofthe cover or upper section and is sealed water-tight around the hot airpipe R, whilethe branches P are fitted to openings in the ends of thecover and are sealed water-tight around the 40 ends of the branch pipesR. Thus the pipes or tubes R and R are completely surrounded by water,andthelatter is heated therefrom. An opening a is formed in the mainpipe '1 for draining the same and a 5 suitable draw-off cook or hose bibmay be connected therewith. A

Filling and water leveling o enings a, as indicated in dotted branchesPi.

opt-he cover and to which suitable valves or cocks are connected toprevent leakage and evaporation of the wate The heated air or gas issupplied to the pipe R through its outer end and passes therethrough andinto the branches R and escapes through the open ends of the latter tothe atmosphere as indicated by the arrows. This. arrangement insures aperfect draft.

The water in the main pipe P .and'the branches P' is heated by contactwith the hot air pipes Rand B, and isthus caused to circulate, thecourse followed being from '65 the mam pipe P, through branches P,

through pipes P and the series of pipes or tubes P to the laterals P andthrough the latter back to the main pipe P.

The cover or upper section is lined at the sides and back with sheetmetal S the purpose of which is to prevent loss of heat and to reflectthe same downwardly. The distributing plate G is also formed of metaland serves to diffuse and prevent the intense heat radiating. from themain pipe P striking directly on the eggs.

-A ventilating opening 0 is. formed in the front Wall or lower sectionof the body of the incubator. I

My invent-ion as above described is well adapted for the purposes forwhich it is designed, but changes may be made therein without departingfrom the scope or spirit of my invention, and in Fig. .3 is shown amodified form of construct-ion of the lower lines, are ormed in the v towhich short lehgths of pipes" 50 b may be connected through openings insection or body portion of the incubator in which the doors D and E arearranged to form the front wall of said section, there being a pair foreach chamber or compartment, and the ends of said section being fixed,and one of them being formed with a Ventilating opening d. Also, asshown in said figure, a modified form of the heating system is employedin which the hot air pipe it? extends longitudinally, instead of transversely, of the cover, and divides and returns on itself and opens tothe atmosphere through upwardly curved ends at the same end of the coveras that at which the hot air enters, instead of at opposite ends, as inFig. l. The water pipe or tube a, in this instance, is sealed aroundpipe d at its point of entrance, extends longitudinally of the cover,divides and returnsto the opposite end of the cover, and issealed-around the branches of the pipe 0?. Between themain and branchwater pipesare coils f thevends of which communicate with the main pipeon opposite sides thereof and with the branches so that a circulation ismaintained between the main Water pipe' and its branches.

The openings 9, are for connection gtheo ening g is a drainage port.

111' i 5 I show another modification of my heating system which differsfromthat shown in Fig. '1 in that the coils h are shown in a continuousseries instead of parallel, the operation and result being practicallythe same in both forms or arrangements. In Fig. 6 is shown a system ofheating similar to those shown in Figs. 1 and 5 excepting that boththehot air pipes and the 'water'pipes are given-right angled turns orbends, as at k, and continued parallel with the main pipes transversethe cover. In Fig. 7 is shown a-modified form of heating system, ofgreat simplicity Wind indicated in dotted lines, with a water supply andwhichdiflers from the form shown in Fig.

- pipe m'and the branches n, instead of having a longitudinallyextending coil or return pipe, as in Fig. 3.

In Fig. 8 the heating system shown is the same as that shown in Fig. 7except that the coils are lengthened so as to form the intermediatecoils 7; between the main p and per section, said system comprising hotair branch pipes 12 r Among the advantages of anincubator constructedaccording to'my invention are, first, the equal distribution of heat andthe high efliciency; second, ready access to itsinterior for cleaningormepai'r; and third, the simple but etfect-ive means for supplying thenecessary humidity, all of which features tend to insure a sanitary andefficient apparatus.

' Having thus described my invention what I claim as new is: a I

- 1. An incubator, comprising an upper and lower section hingedtogether, a heating system arranged in said upper section, saidsysternconsisting of hot air .pipes surrounded by (Ya Water jacket, areticulated partition divi ing said lower section into compartments, adistributing plate for diffusing the heat arranged parallel with andover said partition, and a porous cover extending over saidcompartments.

2. An incubator, comprisingan upper section, a heating system arrangedin said uppipes surrounded'by a'wa'ter jacket consisting of main andlatpral pipes, a lower section, a reticulated partition dividing lowersection into chambers or compart ments, a distributing plate arrangedbelow the main water pipe for diffusing the heat therefrom, and a'porous cover for said chambers or compartments.

In testimony whereof, I a'iiix my signature, in the presence of twowitnesses.

THEODORE GOSHEll MELMNGER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. (3.

